Panzerfaren Begins
by Theblazepanzer24
Summary: This isn't your usual Sensado. In this world, your tankers are not high school girls, no. They are prisoners, orphans, and general undesirables. The tanks aren't nearly as safe either, with a focus on having the tank survive rather than the crew. Heavily inspired by the PlayStation Portable game, Gladiator Begins.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I've wanted to write a Gladiator Begins story for a long time, however, with there being no Gladiator Begins category, I've decided to write a story biased around the concept, expect instead of ancient weapons from the ancient roman empire days, they use tanks. I've had to make some modifications to the world of Panzerfaren and politics of the modern area, but I think it's going to work out well.**

 **I hope you enjoy, and please favorite, follow, and review if you like. Note: I do not own Girls und Panzer nor Gladeator Begins.**

 **Monolouge**

Panzerfaren, a spectacular sport where high school girls participate in simulated tank warfare, and supposedly become better women because of it. He he he... not here.

My name is Hanoashi. I just turned twelve four months ago, though I'm not exactly happy. The reason is simple, my parents died three months ago, along with the rest of my family members in a plane crash. I was one of the lucky ones to survive, though it wasn't reported on the news. At the time, I had assumed it was because they wanted to keep me out of the limelight, allow me to try and piece together my shattered life in peace.

I was wrong. The real reason was because the husband of a predominate tankery instructor has been sizing me up for an arranged marriage to his son. Of course, since my parents had all died, I could make the ultimate decision on my end. I chose not too, as I had always believed you should only marry those you love.

Big mistake. About twelve days later, to my horror, I was drafted into Panzerfaren. Panzerfaren was akin to being enslaved as a Gladiator in ancient Rome, except instead of melee weapon warfare, you fought in tank warfare. You had few rights, and an even lower chance for survival. According to the rules, you can wear one ring or watch, and you can have replica's orders if it breaks. Other than that and the right to be dressed, your Lanasta chooses your uniform and recreation attire.

Anyways, so now I have seven years of forced labor. Death-defying battles, and bland meals to look forward too.

 **Prologue:**

Hanoashi glanced at her watch, using her other hand to bursh some of her red hair out of her face. She let out a small sigh as the call for her summons resounded, and she stood up abruptly. Glancing around, she noticed sever other students join her. To her left there was Miho, formerly Miho Nishisumi, but she had her family name stripped after being disowned for speaking out against the ills of Panzerfaren, _She seems scared shit-less now, but she was incredibly brave in doing what she did._ She thought in pity.

Next to her was Mako Reize. She had good grades, but way to many late marks at school so she was also drafted to Panzerfaren. She seemed very tired at the moment, but was doing her best to stay awake. A scratch along her forearm shows where a strike had scored her earlier when she had fallen asleep standing up during the orientation. The only other in her group to have chosen to wear a piece of jewelry, she sported her mother's wedding band.

Lastly, There was Yukaro Akiyama. Supposedly his sister had been accused of trespassing, and even though his sister had actually been with her that night, the court seemed to have enough evidence to convince Yukari. However, Yukaro took on her punishment, which someone could theoretically do in certain circumstances, thus his five year long Panzerfaren sentence began.

Hanoashi let out a sigh as she was cuffed and put into the transport van, her orange jumpsuit scratching her back. She glanced around, trying to see how her companions where doing. Miho looked on the verge of tears, which she could not blame her for. Yukaro was the only one who seemed calm, though he was glancing at Miho worriedly. And Mako? She was asleep as usual.

 _Maybe I should have taken the arranged marriage,_ she thought to herself. _But then again, that's a lot for a twelve year old girl to take on. Isn't it enough punishment for me to have my parents killed in a plane crash?_ There where no obvious answers for the young girl, and in many ways the gravity of what was happening hadn't sunk in yet.

She began to look down, almost sobbing as she saw her arms in handcuffs. "Dammit! Why did I have to survive that airplane crash?" she whimpered, before she flinched as Yukaro prodded her gently. "Whatever you do, do not let them see you crying. They'll either get a rise out of it or beat you up." he whispered.

She nodded, stealing herself. "I...I'll try. But it's just unfair, you know?"

"Yeah. Doesn't mean we can do anything about it." he mumbled.

The rest of the ride was bumpy, and Hanoashi fell asleep for a portion of it before waking up to see the destination of her new life. "Nishmari," She whispered sadly. She'd lived there until she was eleven, and had hoped to go back someday. But not under Panzerfaren. As the van stopped, she nudged Mako. "Wake up before they open the doors," she whispered, and she woke up. "Thanks," she mumbled, before rising up and making her way to the door.

As she herself stepped off the bus, she ignored the hushed whispered of those around her, her old childhood friends and their families. Some of them where full of pity, others bewilderment and at least aq few where throwing her glares filled with accusation. She fought down the urge to say something, knowing it would result in a beating. However, dispute this, she still wished to say something in response, though she didn't know if that would be to insist that she did nothing wrong or if it would be to assure them that she'd be fine.

 _Can I survive seven years of constant tank warfare?_ She asked herself, not too sure how likely her chances where. Just being in the tank was a risk, you could be maimed, crushed, asphyxiated, burned, or exhausted to death. There was a lot that could go wrong, and she would not be extremely lucky, but rather extremely blessed to make it through alive.

She stood in line as the number of Panzerfaren draftees became known, she must have at least counted nearly fifty of them. She nudged Mako when she began to nod off. "You don't want another scratch on your arm," she whispered, resulting in Mako freezing for a brief moment before muttering a thank you.

One thing that separated half her crew was their punishments would be different. Mako and Yukaro where sent here on disciplinary grounds, and their punishment could be very harsh, including physical beatings. Miho and herself on the other hand, since they where technically orphans, could not receive physical beatings, but that didn't mean their kind's typical punishments where much better. Most likely her's would be anything from four to twelve hours bound to a chair to a month in a jail cell. She for one really, really did not want to experience any of those.

To her surprise, as she gazed up, she spotted a yellow harried girl with light blue eyes rise to the front, her sharp gaze penetrating the rest of the group. A few hushed whispered of "What's the Lionness doing here," floated around, but most of the other detainees where silent.

"Alright you lot, It's time for introduction to Panzerfaren. For those of you who don't know, my name is Lyra Istumi, but you will call me Leopon at all times." The then let out a small sigh. "As you can see, my Villa is empty. I've just started my on Panzerfaren school. However, you lot..." she then let out a growl. "Do you not understand? I brought you here with my coin. Until you earn enough to cover your cost, you will not have my respect as a gladiator. Understand?"

"We understand, honorable Leopon," the crowd chorused, bowing slightly as per the custom. Hanoashi herself found it weird, having the best Panzerfaren warrior as her Lanasta, But that still didn't mean much consolation to her, as it meant next to nothing for her survival.

"Next, I will be introducing you to your tanks." she continued, motioning for those teams to follow. Hanoashi found herself having a bit of a difficult time keeping up with the high school students, nearly tripping twice due to the connected leg irons they wore as required by federal law for the first few days on the yard.

"Hanoashi, Miho, Yukaro, Mako," Leopon bellowed. "This is your tank," she continued, pointing to a 38T Herzer mod. Hanoashi felt slightly conflicted over the tank she had been given. On one hand, it was a good all around tank, capable of stopping most small arms fires in addition to hold up against attacks form more... cheaper options such as the BT series and Italian tankkets. It's sloped armor would also help to deflect shots, making survival in it more likely than in similar tanks such as the Sermans, Panzer IV's and KV-2's. However, it armor was thin in places and it didn't have a rotating turret, instead having a fixed gun which could move to get a more accurate shot, though it could only fired in front of the tank.

Glancing around at the other tanks, she saw two more Hertzers, four T-34-1942 models, and three Panthers. With a jolt she realized that Leopon had put together a most excellent team, but not only that, her tanks where designed to give their crews the best chance of survival. _I guess it's because she knows what it's like to be in our shoes,_ she thought. _She natural knows what it's like to be in Panzerfaren, and she wants us to have a good chance at both winning and surviving._

Leopon, like Hanoashi, had been drafted into Panzerfaren when she was fifteen years old. However, after her three year sentence was up, rather than returning to civilian life, she opted to become a professional tanker. These are a rare, special breed of people, and like many professionals, they get paid a lot. Most rarely make it to the millionaires, as their usual pay is about a little over two hundred thousand a year, and most died within their first two years. Leopon is only one of three tankers to have survived more than four years, and only herself and Tokato Nishisumi, the founder of the Nishisumi Panzerfaren school, had gone on to become rich and form their own schools.

"Hanoashi, I'd like for you to come with me to my office once we complete the tour," she stated, causing her to freeze up momentarily. _I...I'm not in trouble am I?_ She asked herself, but then shook her head, She hadn't done anything wrong, so she couldn't be in trouble.

"And this is where you will stay at night," she finished. Hanoashi nearly let out a gag at the thought. Essentially, cells with four and five beds each. Barred doors blocked each of the doors, and some of the people began to cry, Miho included.

Her initial disappointment quickly turned into curiosity. Why did Leopon chose to have her draftees live in this kind of place? Does she have some kind of fetish with jail? _No, from what I've heard, Leopon is suppose to be very nice, if not strict. Wait, that's it!_ She realized. _Security and heating! In a large grocery store, you heat and cool the place via several large overhead heating and cooling fans. By using open cell doors, she can heat and cool the entire villa, while restricting fights between four and five people. Interesting._

As her leg irons where being took off, Hanoashi's thought drifted to when she would actually go inside the block. _I wonder what it's going to actually be like inside the cell. Is it going to be scary? Probably, I mean, I'm terrified right now._ She then let out a small breath she was holding. _But then again, what else am I going to feel. Embarrassment? Claustrophobic? Loneliness? Wait, maybe not the last one as three other people are also going to be locked in with me._

"Miss Hanoashi, please come with me," Leopon began and Hanoashi bowed slightly before following her to her office. She had to admit, the gentle air-conditioning felt good to her, and she sat down, feeling her long, red hair flow down against the back of the chair. "Am... Am I in trouble, Honurable Leopon?" she asked nervously.

To her releaf, Leopon shook her head. "No, aside from the fact your in Panzerfaren, your not." She wasn't deceived into thinking this hold thing would be a cakewalk, Hanoashi knew full well that seven years in Panzerfaren was bad news. "Actually, I wanted to discuss your team position with you, privately. "

Handing her the team roster, she quickly found her team, gasping when she saw what her position was. "This... this isn't right," she whispered.

Leopon leaned forward. "Maybe not, but that's what I chose for you," she admitted. When she didn't respond, Leopon growled. "Look Hanoashi just go along with it. I don't want you getting hit head on in the Hertzer which would happen if you're in the driver's seat, and your too young to man the gun or load, so that leaves the commanders seat."

Stunned, Hanoashi handed her the paper back. "Why me?" she asked, confused.

Leopon sighed. "Because on that team, you are the only one who is truly innocent, and I kinda want to try and protect you. In all honesty, had I know you'd been orphaned before you where drafted, I'd have tried to adopt you."

"Re...really?" Hanoashi gasped, before a thought occurred to her. "You said that I was the only one truly innocent, but what about Miho? She only spoke out against Panzerfaren," she dared to point out.

To her surprise Leopon's gazes softened a bit more. "Don't take me as being ungrateful, the only ones who should be in Panzerfaren should be professionals, and only if and when they make the sport much more safer, like it is in the African, American, And Eruopean leagues." She then sighed dreamily. "I've heard they even have knockout flags, safer rounds and carbon coating designed to protect crews rather than the tanks."

Sighing once again, this time more serious, she turned back to the conversation at hand. "Yeah, but in Miho's case, it was different. For one thing, she was asking for disownment. Yeah, I'm glad she stood up for us, but the thing is, she should have waited until she graduated high school, when there was no chance of her being disowned."

"Then are you saying I should have accepted that offer for an arranged marriage?"

Leopon shuttered. "Not on your life!" she exclaimed. "Hanoashi, you did everything right in refusing, it's our stupid government who was wrong in this case. Asking a twelve year old to wed is much too young, and drafting you into Panzerfaren for seven year is even more cruel."

"Ah... I see." Hanoashi gazed down for a brief moment."

"By the way... and I want you to keep everything, especially this confidential," Leopon began. "You cost the most coin to draft."

She gaped, causing Leopon to chuckle a bit. "It's that guy who wanted you to marry his son. I'm guessing he's also the one who drafted you, too. At any rate, he kept bidding higher and higher. Funny thing is, even though he's richer than me, he has a school three times larger than me as well, so he essentially has nine times the cost involved. Plus, I got a forty million yen advance loan to build my team, so it was no problem to outbid him.

"Forty million yen... that's likes three hundred fifty thousand us dollars!" Hanoashi explained. She then frowned. "How much did buying my draft cost? If... if you don't mind me asking, honorable Leopon.

Leopon chuckled. "12 Million yen."

 _Close to one hundred and ten thousand in US dollars._ Converting yen to us dollars had became a popular fad among pre-teens such as herself, albeit no one knew where, or even how, it got started.

"Anyways, it's getting dark. I'll escort you to your room, so that you don't get into trouble for being out late," she rose up, and Hanoashi had no choice to follow. They soon arrived at her cell, and the guard gazed at them curiously

"Don't worry she's with me," Leopon remakred gently and the guard nodded, undoing Hanoashi's cuffs and leg irons before gently pushing her into the block, before closing and locking the doors. Sighing, she glanced around.

"Hey, do you want the middle bed, bottom block, or top block," Yukaro asked. Hanoashi gazed at the three choices for a moment before deciding. "I guess I'll take the middle bed... if you don't mind that is."

Yukaro nodded, and she laid down, bone tired. "If you need anything, let me know, okay?" He asked her.

She rolled up into a ball under the covers, gazing at him. "Thanks Yukaro," she whispered. "Good night," she added softly, closing her eyes.

 **A brief history of Panzerfaren: (585 words long)**

 **Panzerfaren began in the 1920's as a death sport designed to execute condemned criminals. Spectators would watch from air balloons and special designed guard towers and balloons with primitive RPG crews would ensure that none of the participants would escape during the matches. This time was also known as the free-from period, as many, many new tank designs would be tested, as well as current and new designs scrutinized for weaknesses.**

 **In 1939, Japan began their attack on Midway, beginning the pacific wars. By 1942, they had captured all of the major pacific island, but seceded them in 1943 under the infamous Stalin-Pacific accords. Under threat of war against the Soviet Union, Japan ceded most of their territorial gains, but gained the entire citizenry from all concurred lands, inadvertently leading to small pockets of mixed racial groups in Japan. This gave ways to the Social testing period in Panzerfaren, which began in 1946, though it's most notable contribution was televised and recorded matches, actual score keeping, and limiting the machines to 1948 and earlier.**

 **The Social trial period ended in 1962, when then Emperor Haranobu declaimed that any person of non-Japanese decent would be judged biased on their own merits rather than their race and performance in Panzerfaren. Instead in it's place would be a system to punish those who committed wrongs and wanted a shorter sentence, and those who performed poorly in academia due to negligence. This was known as the Era of Condemnation, and it lasted until 1992.**

 **In 1992, due to concerns of overpopulation, both national and global, the criteria for Panzerfaren punishments was expanded and accelerated. Now orphans could be placed into the program, albeit at a limited rate. Those who where Disowned where also occasionally allowed to be placed into the program, albeit at a much higher rate. People could now also substitute for a family member who has committed a crime in some cases, and people could reduce the punishment of some crimes by up to half if they agreed to participate in the program. In 2002, Panzerfaren schools where allowed to hire professional volunteers to their ranks at the rate of 200,000 U.S. dollars per year.**

 **There are several different classifications of Panzerfaren participants:**

 ** _Volunteer professional:_ These are payed professionals, usually former participants looking for more cash. They are rarely hired except by the most prestigious schools and even then in low numbers. Most schools hire an instructor, which trains the school, but doesn't actually fight, though there are extremely rare exceptions.**

 ** _Disciplinary detail:_ These are students who have excessive late/no-shows, failing grades, or constant Suspensions, detentions, and or expulsion. In most cases, students are given one grace year to improve before being sent here. **

**_Orphaned/disownment:_ Federal law allows a certain number of Orphans and a certain number of Disowned children to be drafted into the program. This is often covertly question by the citizenry due to the number being secretive and changing from year to year, so no one knows if the number of draftees is overbearing or not.**

 ** _Substitution:_ Usually done by a family member, though in rare occasions as it usually isn't allowed to happen flippantly. **

**_Criminal action:_ These are criminals. Some of them are placed into Panzerfaren directly for their crimes, others volunteer to go in as a participant in exchanged for a reduced sentence. Sexual, assault, and homicidal crimes are strictly ineligible for this program, so most people go in for fraud, theft, and elicit perihelia. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two is done! I'd like to thank ll of you who have read this story so far, and I hope you are enjoying this story. Fell free to give me a review if you'd like to say or point out something. Other than that, enjoy!**

 **I do not own Girls und Panzer.**

Hanoashi woke up to light fluttering through the ceiling skylight. Blinking her green eyes open gently, she jolted when she saw the prison bars, before remembering what had happened. _Oh, right. Panzerfaren draft, Leopon... I wonder what the team is going to think about me being the commander._ She then shuddered. _Will they be jealous? Will they hate me? Beat me up?_ She didn't know the answers to these worries. What she did know is that while Leopon was just trying to protect her, the others might not feel that way.

She put on her watch, before signing, wishing the had something other than her prison uniform before remembering that she'd get her recreation and tankery uniform today. Yukaro then woke up, smiling at her a bit. "Morning Yukaro," she hummed gently.

Morning Hanoashi," he greeted politely, before stretching in his bunk. "Have you been up long?"

She shook her head. "No, just woke up a few minuets ago." she admitted. "You should use the bathroom first," she added briefly. "I won't need much time but I don't know about them two."

He shrugged. "I believe you're right," he whispered. "Thanks." She watched him head into the little room in the back before placing her hands in her lap, waiting on him to finish up.

About four minuets later he exited, his face slightly wet. "Your turn." She nodded, whispering a quiet thank you of her own before entering the small room to relieve herself. As she did so, she realized that there wasn't much there. The stall, as it where, was only five feet wide by four feet long. There was five lockers, and she opened the one with her name on it, letting out a small sigh as she realized the only thing it had was bargain brand mouthwash, toothpaste, a basic toothbrush, a hair brush and two cups, one being a spit cup and the other being Styrofoam.

Taking her supplies, she brushed her hair as quickly as she could, glad she had started wearing it straight instead of having a slight curl to it. She then brushed her teeth, and rinsed her mouth, before taking a good drink with her Styrofoam. "Bah, this water taste terrible," she whispered, normally liking water, however this kind, wherever it came from, was awful compared to what she use to drink. She glanced at the cup doubtfully, before shrugging and half gulped it down, placing her cup in her locker and locking it.

The rest of her morning ritual was quick, and she flushed the toilet and exited, seeing that Miho was up.

Hey Hanoashi... I guess I should apologize. I... I was feeling sorry for..." However before she could finish Hanoashi placed her hand up.

"You don't need to apologize, Miho. We where all scared, it's only natural." she replied. Miho let out a sigh of relief. "Thanks," she whispered.

At about seven they managed to get Mako up, albeit barely. She put her ring on and got ready to meet the day before the doors opened, and a form up announcement was stated. As Hanoashi took her place beside Miho and Yukaro, she felt both calmed by there presence and nervous about today's activities.

Leopon walled to the center of the group, and saluted. Almost as one the group bowed gently, before snapping to a kind of attention posture. "Alright... so today we're going to get you fitted out for your new life. Girls will be heading to the bath houses, while boys will be heading to the pool houses. You will shower and you girls will use all of your shampoo, soap, and moisturizer provisions. Is that clear.?"

"Yes, Honorable Leopon." Although Hanoashi still felt a tad awkward about calling someone honorable every time s a title, she did not want to get on Leopon's bad side.

"Good." She then turned to another woman, one with black hair shaped like a helmet. She also had a prosthetic limb on her left leg. Her dark blue-green eyes glared around the room. "My name is Midorino Sono. I'm sure many of you have herd of me before as the Sudoku of Panzerfaren." She then looked at those sternly. "Do not, under any circumstances, call me that."

"Yes, Instructor Sono," The crowd coursed, and then began to separate into genders. Hanoashi followed them into the showers, and Modorino placed her hand on Hanoashi's shoulder for a bit.

"I've placed a note on your stall showing how to do the advanced stuff, alright?" she whispered, Causing Hanoashi to nod. Released, she stepped into the showers and began to follow the various instructions step by step, and boy was there a lot of steps. Although the process took her about forty minutes to her it felt like three hours, but it seemed to make her skin smooth and soft, and her hair was quite silky as a bonus. As she came out, there was a lady waiting for her.

"Time for your bi-weekly treatment," she remarked. Sighing gruffly at being lead once again, she was brought into what looked like a miniature saloon. She saw her new recreation uniform, which was a red sleeveless shirt with a black mini-skirt.

"Okay, so Red or Black?"

Hanoashi did not understand the question. "Huh?" she asked softly.

"Your nail polish, Red or Black?" she then glanced at the twelve year old. "Leopon insist all girls wear nail polish."

Hanoashi wanted to gag at this point. _Nail polish is disguising. Who knows what's in it, some of the cheaper brands even have lead in it reportedly._ However, she pushed her disgust, or immaturity if you'd rather, down. "Red, I guess," she decided mutinously. _I'm going to hate this, I just know it._

It didn't help that the worker had everything save her hair shaved, though fortunately they used something called a no-no razer. She remembered the worker cooing her about it. "It's not a razor, it's not a laser," she mocked under her breath. "Lord can you at least have them not treat me like a helpless brat?" she prayed.

Thankfully for everyone on her team her good mood returned around lunch time, and she was please that they'd get decent meals it seemed. Not great, but decent. Everyone got some sort of meat sandwich, beans, rice, and a snack. She focused on eating her meal while listening to the conversations going around her, trying desperately not to pay mind to the nail polish on her fingers which at the moment was bugging the living hell out of her.

"You okay Hanoashi?" She glanced at the question, spoken by Miho.

"Oh, um, yeah, I'm fine, why to you ask."

"You just seemed..." Miho paused, obviously trying to find the right words.

"Out of place?" Hanoashi guessed and Miho nodded. "That's true, but then again I think we all do to a certain extent." All she got was a small nod and was left alone for most of the meal.

After lunch, they where taken to a special tank simulator for practice. "For the next two months, two of you will take turns training in the simulate. Two teams a day, five days a week. By the time the second month has passed, you will have been in eight practices. After that, all practices will be live. Understand?" The various teams nodded to their instructor, her blue-green gaze boring into the team.

"Good. When you are not in Panzerfaren you are in general class. You will graduate with the English equivalent of a GED. For the record, no collage. Do not let that get you down. Trust me, a common store clerk is a much better job than what you have here." Hanoashi whole-heatedly agreed.

"By the way, Hanoashi, your squad is up in the simulator first. Good luck." She could feel the stares of her fellow teammates landing on her, save for her own crew, and she shrugged. "Let's just roll with it," she growled quietly before entering the simulate hatch.

Their simulator, as it turned out, was a standard Panzer IV D, which allowed for the training of the Radio operator should they have one. Since they didn't, She simply took her position, growling a bit.

"Something wrong Hanoashi," Yuakro asked, glancing at her in concern from his loader's position.

Hanoashi let out a rather large huff. "Nothing's wrong guys. It's just... I'm not liking wearing the nail polish, it's unnatural."

Miho gaped at her. "Didn't your parents ever have you wear any as a kid?" She gasped, surprised.

Hanoashi let out a sarcastic sigh. "Aside from making sure I was in good clothes, they didn't do anything until I was old enough to give permission. They didn't even to that whole ear-stub thingie most parents seem to do with girls, thank god. Earrings are unnatural," she ranted softly.

"Watches are unnatural too," Mako pointed out in an annoyed tone.

"Oh yeah! Well my watch doesn't go through my skin, thank you very much." Hanoashi deadpanned.

"Well... technically the ear is made out of something called cartilage..." Yukaro began only to get a glare from Hanoashi.

"Oh shut up!" However, her growl seem half playful, half sarcastic. "Everyone knows that."

"Ahem!" Everyone jumped as the instructor came on. "If you're quite done discussing your differences about jewelry, can we please get to practice," she growled.

"Sorry instructor Sono, It won't happen happen again," Hanoashi promised, and once everyone calmed down the simulation began. At first, things seemed to go by smoothly as Mako quickly got the hang of driving the Panzer. "Nice driving Mako, keep up the great work," Hanoashi praised, before glancing out of the commanders hatch, only to duck in as a shot came over from her left. Unfortunately, she was too late and her training exosuit locked up and her visor went black. Yukaro quickly pulled her inside, managing to lay her down albeit it was awkward, before the tank was rocked by another shot, and all of the other crew's blacked out.

Filling the cabin with simulated heat, smoke, and fire, Hanoashi let out a few coughs even though no one on the outside could hear her. The helmet was a training device designed to black out any crew member who had a fatal shot. The brilliance of it was not only could it black out the vision of the knocked out user, it also blocked out all sounds, both from the external world and from her own mouth. She found out firsthand the cold feeling of total isolation, if only for a brief few moments, and she did not want to experience it again.

The hatch of the Panzer IV opened up and the instructor came in, frowning as the smoke clear. "Okay... Mako, you did fine on the driving, expectantly on your first time. Hanoashi, although you needed to be more observant, not to mention careful, you did okay for someone of your tender age." Gazing down, the red head realized that the instructor was right. "I'll be more careful," she promised, really... really not wanting to die.

Midorino simply nodded in response before turning her attention to Yukaro. "You did everything right, not much else you could have done anyways." Yukaro didn't really reply, probably unwilling to accept any praise when the who team had gotten Simulated KIA.

"Miho, the the hell did you not fire?" Sono hissed, turning her full wrath to the girl. Hanoashi cast Miho a sympathetic glance, but didn't say anything in her defense. _Your mistake, your response,_ she whispered internally, remembering what her mother had taught her about interfering in these kinds of disputes.

"I... I..." Miho began sobbing. "I don't want to kill anyone!" She screamed. Hanoashi let out a sigh, guessing what would happen next.

"Miho, you did kill someone today." Sono replied coolly, continuing as Miho gasped. "You killed your teammates." Letting out a sigh, she turns to the rest of the crew. "You three, return to your cell. Miho, evening in isolation."

Hanoashi barely refrained from making a protest. She suspected the reason for placing Miho in isolation for the evening wasn't to punish her, but rather to give her time to think.

As Sono lead Miho away, she couldn't help but hear her quiet words. "Think of it as you having lost this crew because you didn't fire quick enough. Taking off her own her equipment and Panzerfaren uniform, she headed straight back to the cell, not even glancing at her crew.

 _I got myself killed today. And being the commander, that would have gotten them killed,_ she realized, sitting down on her middle bunk. She cupped her head in her hands and let out the first sob, before the tears went flowing down.

"It's going to be alright, Hanoashi." Glancing up, she noticed that Yukaro was sitting by her, his arm wrapped around her in comfort. "No it's not," she sobbed. "I died and could have gotten you all killed." she added softly.

Yukaro sighed and guided her gaze to his with his hands. "Look at me Hanoashi," he began, and her green eyes stared into his amber ones. "Your young, and any position is going to be difficult for you. You just have to learn all you can, and do what you can. If you make a mistake... then so be it. You made a mistake. But you can't run from this nor can you hide from this. As long as you do your best and learn from your mistakes, then you've done your job."

She shuddered, before nodding. "Your right," she managed, her voice sharpening before letting out a small yawn.

"You must be tired. Go and get some sleep, you'll feel better in the morning," he promised. Hanoashi privately agreed and moved under the covers, Yukaro tucking her in. "Night, little sis," he whispered to her surprise.

"Night Oni-chan," she whispered softly before closing her eyes and falling asleep.


	3. Chapter 3 part 1

**Chapter three part one**

 **I'd like to start out by thanking everyone who has favored and followed this story, and a special shout out to SeekerMeeker for his review. I've always thought that Gladiator Begins was an excellent game despite being close to ten years old. As for your question, the short answer is there are some others, like Midorino Sono, and we'll see three more cannon characters appear in this chapter. However, there isn't a whole lot of them who appear, I'd guess maybe ten to fourteen at the top of my head. And some of them will be older, like Anzu and Midoriko Sono.**

 **Additionally, I've decided to split this chapter into at least two, if not three parts. Part of the reason is because the description of the first battle is like three to four thousand pages while the aftermath is about another three thousand. Combined with this and I've got about a 12 thousand word chapter on my hands here. There's no reason why I couldn't make it all one large chapter, except that I'm not too sure if I'm at the stage where I can manage a 12K chapter without having people lose interest. At five thousand words I kinda begin to head off into rambling territory.**

She was in one of her better moods today. Hanoashi realized this as her team exited the simulator, having improved greatly over the previous two months. Miho was actually losing her qualms about the potential to kill an enemy tanker, albeit she still hated the idea. She was also hitting her targets quite well, and she only hoped her gunner would be able to maintain this

Yukaro was like a big brother to her, though that might have to do with her being friends with his sister. Irregardless, he was the one she naturally went to when her nerves where frayed or she had questions. He was also the first one to point out to her the reason she was often more moody than she'd like, having seen his sister go through the same thing for a few months.

Then, there was Mako. Although she and Hanoashi didn't exactly see eye to eye outside the tank, they where excellent inside the tank. She had mixed feelings about her, one one hand she was happy to have an excellent driver and that Mako's sentence was only three years in comparison to hers, but she only hoped her next driver would be just as proficient.

"I think we did great today," she remarked happily as she stared at the simulator.

"Yes, but now we are going to have actual practice and matches," Mako remarked, shuddering at the thought. Miho let out a quiet sigh. "Can we please not think about that," she begged quietly. "I don't want to think about us, or anyone else for that manner, getting killed."

"Just keep in mind that we'll be counting on you the most," Yukaro cautioned. "I can load, Hanoashi can lead and Mako can drive but you are our first and last line of defense."

Miho nodded, though she still looked troubled. _I can't really blame her though. Even I'm troubled by the concept of commanding her to fire on a tank which might kill people. But I don't make a constant whining about it._ Miho had made her feelings very well known, and rumors where flying that if Miho couldn't shoot the enemy, she could be transferred to a different team, or even expelled. If you where expelled, it resulted in either jail time, death, or deportation to a lesser country. Somalia was quite popular among prosecutors these days. Hanoashi's mind went back to when she first had been told she would be drafted into Panzerfaren.

Glancing at the clock, the red head sighed as she waited for news of her fate. Her biggest fear was that she would be drafted into Panzerfaren, albeit she believed that was highly unlikely. _I haven't done anything wrong,_ she thought, still numb with grief over the loss of her parents. _I mean, sure, I've made mistakes, but nothing extra-ordinary and I try to learn from my mistakes._

An out later a child case-worker came in, his head down. "I... I'm sorry Hanoashi, you've been drafted into Panzerfaren." he whispered.

"Ho... how long?" she asked, trying not to tear up over the news.

"Se...Seven years."

"No." Her voice was little more than a whisper. As he began to lead her to her cell, she wrapped her mind around what just happened. _Seven years of Panzerfaren? My gosh... this... this is terrible._

Being placed in the equivalent of a holding cell was bad enough on top of learning about that. "I...I could die," she whispered, placing her hand in her lap, glancing at her watch. It wasn't until a quiet voice whispered did she learn she wasn't alone in the cell either.

"I ask again, did they sentence you to Panzerfaren as well?" Glancing up, she had to hold in a gasp as she saw who it was. Darjeeling, the budding diva of the St. Gloriana movie studios, was sitting right in front of her, sharing her cell.

"Um... yeah. Seven years." She managed to get out rather lamely, turning her attention to the posh blond.

"That's quite a long time for someone so young." she mused. "But you don't look like the kind to cause that much trouble," she added.

Hanoashi sighed. "No... I... I'm an orphan," she admitted, fighting back tears of the memory. "Any you?"

Darjeeling huffed loudly. "Good for nothing social activists." she couldn't help but look up an surprise, so she blond continued her explanation. "My father was a believer in ritualistic abuse, and I was the target. So someone suggested I report it to the national abuse hot-line, and so I did." She then gave a small laugh. "Oh they got me out of that situation alright, only to throw me into this one. I'm guessing some of the jurors on my case where a bit sympathetic to my father... after all who would believe the owner and CEO of St. Gloriana would abuse his own daughter. Not to mention many stars made it into Hollywood and the like through my father as well."

"So... I'm so sorry," Hanoashi began, only to be interrupted by a hand gesture from Darjeeling. "Don't be, it's not your fault" She then sighed. "What about you... there has to be more than you simply being an orphan?"

She shook her head. "No...no, not that I can think of. I was always a good daughter, even if I made mistakes every once and a while. No, my parents died in a plane crash. Although..." she paused, placing her hand to her chin in thought.

"Yes?" her cellmate mused, leaning forward with interest

"There was someone who asked me to agree to enter an arranged marriage with his son. Anzia something was the name of the father."

"Anzia?" Darjeeling asked, and Hanoashi nodded causing the blond to shake. "Your lucky he couldn't send you to Somalia then," she added after a brief moment.

 _Somalia? That's where piracy and human trafficking is running rampart right now!_ She shook visibly. "Do you really think he'd have done that?" she asked, feeling both very scared and lucky at the same time.

Darjeeling's eyes darkened. "Hanoashi dear, Anzia is very powerful and can get away with some pretty awful things. Plus he doesn't take refusal lightly." she then paused before continuing. "The only one so far who has survived refusing him is a Panzerfaren veteran named Leopon."

Hanoashi shook herself from the flashback and followed her crew to their cell to get some good sleep for the night. After their recent training barrage, they've earned it.

"Alright, form up when we call your commander's name!" Hanoashi was nervous, though no one could blame her. Once you've had two and a half months of practice, a new school had to answer the summons of a challenge by another school, unless that school issued a challenge themselves. Leopon had explained this herself.

Glancing at her sympathetically, Sono called out her name first. "Hanoashi." Stepping forward with her troops falling in beside her, she frowned as four names where called. "You remaining six are to remain in your cells, the guards will bring you your lunch and supper."

Placing on her tankery uniform, which consisted of a simple black and red jumpsuit, she entered the buss, allowing herself to be cuffed to the window. For security reasons, a special bus was designed, called a Panzerfaren bus. Each one could hold about fifty participants, and so most school only had two or three in their fleet. The seats where single person seats, spaced far enough so that the transportiees could not interact with each other, at least physically.

As the bus took off, she noticed Miho struggling with her cuffed hand. "Don't struggle Miho," she advised.

"How can you not struggle?" Miho hissed. Hanoashi shrugged. "Just relax and don't look at it if it's bothering you that much. You'll forget it was even there."

Miho gave a small grunt, but managed to stop struggling a bit. Smiling, she glanced toward Yukaro who was sitting next to her. "You managing?" she asked.

"Yeah, managed to speak to Yukari and mom last night." Hanoashi smiled again briefly, it was rare for a Lanasta to allow a Panzerfaren participant, with the exception of professionals, to contact their family. "Yukari's doing fine, though she misses us desperately. And mom says you can come over and stay at her place once you get out."

She couldn't help but feel warmed by the generous offer. "I'm glad everything's alright, and if you get in contact with her again, tell her I'd appreciate a place to stay."

Yukaro smiled. "Leopon has her number on hand, just call her when you get out."

"Oww!" Yukaro and Hanoashi simultaneously glanced at Miho, who let out a sigh. "I forgot my right hand was handcuffed," she explained sheepishly. Hanoashi sweet-dropped. "I told you to relax and not look at it, not forget it was there."

"Geeze... I'll remember that next time," Miho whined, rubbing her arm the best she could, which was difficult when your arm was cuffed like hers was.

"Will you three shut up some of us are trying to sleep," Mako mummered, only for the instructor to glare at Mako. "I understand you're a lazy girl Mako, but you shouldn't ask your teammates to go out of there way for you on your laziness."

"I'm not lazy! I just suffer from low blood pressure. My god," Mako complained.

"where ? Where? Where? I don't see him?" Hanoashi asked jokingly, using her left hand as a sun visor and looking around wildly. "Tell me Mako, what does he look like?" She was just being childish at this moment, and in truth, she believed in God herself.

Mako let out a gusty sigh. "I didn't mean it like that Hanoashi," she chuckled softly, which surprised the red headed pre-teen.

For a brief few seconds the five where quiet until Yukaro decided to quip in. "You know, some deities are female," he pointed out.

"Feminist!" Hanoashi accused in a hushed whispered before laughing. "Your right though... let's see, we have Dianna, Lillith, and … ummm... hmmm..." She paused, trying to remember all she had learned in her history class.

"Okay okay, we get it." Sono hissed. Yukaro glanced at her. "Probably not a good itea to use the word fiminist like that," he cautioned, "some might take offence to that.

Hanoashi glanced down, realizing he was right. "Sorry, I'll refraim from using the word like that from now on," she promised, then busied herself by keeping quiet for twenty minuets. "Hey, which schools are competing again?" she asked, turning toward instructor Sono. who shrugged.

"I know that Koromoromine, Nishmari, and Ooarai Panzerfaren schools are participating. On our side, it's Ooarai and Nishmari vs Koromoromine, and maybe someone else. Though given Koromoromine's size and number of tanks relative to ours, it's unlikely they'll be having another school with them especially since it's an eight vs eight match."

Hanoashi understood at once the complexities of this match, and it was likely that Koromorimene challenged Ooarai and Ooarai then challenged Nishmari to join in the match. According to official rules, a Panzerfaren team needed to have at least ten tanks with crews at the inspection which happened once every two years. Between those times you could go as low as five tanks with crews, though it was rare for a school to have less than eight.

As a result, Panzerfaren matches tended to be limited affairs, with smaller schools of good relationships with each other often teaming up to take on larger schools. A school with ten tanks, such as Ooarai and Nishmari, for example, could put on a larger show without any one school taking too large of a risk. In non-tag team torments, most matches had between four to six tanks per team. This allows for at least several necessary crew and tank replacements during the tournament. The rules for said tournament differed as well, some where tag team, some where small scale tag only, and some where solo team. Tournaments with a small number of participants, usually between three and six, used a grid format. Each school fought every other school in this style tournament, and the school who one the most matches was the winner.

This was more popular with larger schools, as it offered more battles. Smaller schools usually preferred the more traditional bracket style of , which only had a few matches per schools, thus less risk. Nishmari, for example, would have to use about eight tanks in a Grid style tournament, meaning that they'd only have two additional tanks for crew and tank replacement. Facing four to six matches, perhaps even one or two more in the event of a tie, Nishmari would most likely be worse for wear, if not totally wiped out. In opposition, most bracket matches had three to six matches, and a sixteen school match would have about four matches at most.

Hanoashi simply nodded at Instructor Sono. "I understand."

Arriving at the staging area the next day, She and her team met with the Ooarai team, and to her shock Darjeeling walked up to her. "Well met Hanoashi," she greeted.

"Darjeeling, it's an honor to fight along beside you in this match," Hanoashi greeted, bowing slightly. Leopon glanced at Darjeeling in faint surprise, but her attention was diverted by a smaller, twin haired girl walking up to her.

"Honorable Leopon, I have to thank you for agreeing to help us with this match."

"It's no problem, Honorable Anzu, I'm proud to help an old friend, especially one whom I've had the privilege of having as a driver during my Panzerfaren years." Hanoashi was slightly stunned that the Lanasta's of Ooarai and Nishmari where not only old friends, but also Panzerfaren crew mates as well.

However her attention was diverted once again but this time it was by a much lesser person. _No... not him!_

"Anzia," Leopon greeted coolly. Hanoashi was glad to see that she wasn't the only one who disliked the man. "So you've challenged her to a match?" she quipped.

He nodded. "So it would seem. Although I don't seem to remember giving young Anzu permission to ask for assistance in this match." he snarled sarcastically.

Anzu held his gaze, to her credit not flinching. Leopon gave him a sharp gaze. "Anzia. The rules state clearly that any school may ask another for help in these exposition matches. And neither me nor Anzu are under your command, either as free athletes nor as Panzerfaren draftees."

Anzia snorted. "Ah yes, I was forgetting," he began, trying to act smoothly, but neither of them bought it. Turning, he paused, before walking up to Hanoashi. "So, are you regretting your decision not to marry my son?" he asked gleefully.

Hanoashi stared at him, her green eyes blazing. "Never! I'd rather die in Panzerfaren twice than marry someone I don't know anything about!" she shouted, noticing Leopon smiling at her briefly, which gave her strength.

"Hm, never knew you as one to be so feisty," he mummered. "Then again they say gingers have no souls..." He was interrupted by Anzu before he could finish his sentence

"Anzia, I suggest you chose your next words very carefully," she warned. "One more word edgewise and I will report you to the Panzerfaren command for jostling a competitor."

Leopon nodded. "Even you can't fight against two Lanasta, Anzia."

He then bowed, letting out a small sigh. "Your right, Sorry." As he walked away, Hanoashi snorted softly, not believing a word he said about being sorry. "That guy has a lot of nerve," she whispered. _Well, if he's under threat of Panzerfaren... I'll make certain you see how soulless I can be._ She thought, before freezing in her mind, frightened by her current thoughts. _No, that's not being soulless, just being angry. Still, how a bigot like Anzia managed to become a Lanasta eludes me. Still, it wasn't right for me to think that way. I've gotta learn to control my thoughts better before I say something hurtful._

Anzu snorted. "You can say that again." She then turned to Leopon. "Since you've agreed to help, why don't you choose the vice commander from your ranks for the match?"

Leopon nodded, but before she could say anything, two people walked up to her. "Can we speak to Miho and Hanoashi for a few brief moments?"

Leopon looked like she was about to say no when they explained their intentions, albeit it was in such a low voice that Hanoashi couldn't hear them. But by judging the way her eye's lit up she suspected it was something good. _I wonder what they want to tell us?_ She wondered briefly before the guy came up to her and bowed.

"I just wanted to apologize for my father's actions. He had no right to ask you to marry me or to say the things he did to you. Personally I wish they'd outlaw the whole arranged marriage thing."

Hanoashi let out a sigh. "I don't blame you, really."

He looked up, glancing at her though his facial expression was more or less neutral. "Thank you Hanoashi. And... please take care of my sister Miho." he asked, before walking away.

"Wait," Hanoashi begin, following him a bit. "I... I never caught your name," she added.

He turned, his gaze sad and replied simply, "You know it already," before walking back to the stands. It was all she needed to know. _Anzia Nishisumi jr?_ She mused. That kind of thing was not uncommon in America but in Japan? She had her doubts. _Then again, Aniza Senor isn't what I'd expected out of a Lanasta, so maybe. Just maybe._

Her thoughts where interrupted when a dark haired girl walked up to her. She looked similar to Miho, but her hair and eyes where a darker brown and her skin was more red than cream. "My brother may have said this, but please... please get my sister out of this alive," she begged, before bowing.

She nodded seriously. "I'll do everything in my power to make sure Miho makes it through this alive." as she glanced up, she added, "Lord willing we survive."

"Your going to need all the prayer you can get, then. Hanoashi right?"

"Yeah," she whispered.

Smiling, the older sister patted her shoulder comfortingly. "Maho. Maho Nishisumi." she introduced before turning and leaving to rejoin her brother. As she watched, Hanoashi's thoughts drifted toward the family. _Does Anzia have any regrets in sending his youngest daughter into Panzerfarern? I doubt it. I mean, he sent me into Panzerfaren for refusing a marriage proposal, and he's so... smug about it, so why should he care that his own flesh and blood was in the death program?_

"Leopon has chosen you as vice commander. Go with Darjelling and plan your strategy," Instructor Sono's words flooded into her brain and interrupted her thoughts. Nodding determinedly, she squashed down her fears and made her way over to the planning tent.

 _Miho, Mako, Yukaro, I will get you out of here, or die trying. I promise._ However, as she made her way to the commander's tent, she had to wonder about Leopon's choices in positioning her as vice commander.

Gazing as the smaller red head, Leopon glanced at Anzu. "I hope my plan works," she whispered to herself.

"You seem to favor young Hanoashi," Anzu remarked in a rather sly manner. "Training her to be another Leopon?" she asked.

The Lioness shook her head. "Not exactly. But Hanoashi's in it for seven years, which means that until she's 19, her life is going to be one constant tank battle after another. And precious few have ever survived more than four years in the program."

"So you've put her in a sink or swim situation then?"

Leopon nodded. "Miho's too worried about getting someone killed, and Yukaro's the only other one whom I'd trust to lead. Mako's just lazy, and is almost always late in the mornings. She says it's because of her low blood pressure, though I'm not too sure, and besides, she should have chosen a way to cope with it long ago.

"I agree. I mean, even I have low blood pressure, but there's so many ways to deal with it. Herbs, teas, medications, diets, certain excessive, the list goes on and on." Gazing back at the tent, Anzu tipped her head. " By the way, what's with the nail polish? Everyone of your girls seem to be wearing it and it's either red or black, the same color of their uniforms."

Leopon chuckled. "That my friend is a trade secret." As Anzu gaped at her the blond chuckled. "Nah, I wanted to give the girls something to remember their feminine side, so outside of wearing a skirt for a recreational uniform, nail polish is one other thing I found I could do."

"Oh... that makes since." she then glanced at some of her girls waiting patiently, some sitting in the grass. "Maybe I ought to give them a choice then. Though there's would have to be white. Not too sure if I'd want to expand the choice in colors.

"You're their Lanasta Anzu, you can make these choices," Leopon chuckled. "Though going back to Hanoashi... something about her reminds me of myself."

Anzu tipped her head. "You think so?"

"Yes. Though different, there's a lot alike about us. Just maybe, if she's pushed enough, she'll be among the few to survive longer than four years." She then walked over to a seat prepared for her near the tent. "Shall we see if I'm right?"

Gazing at the map, Hanoashi allowed Darjeeling to make the final decisions. "So, to begin with, your Hertzer will begin by hiding at R-4. There's a shady outcrop to where your tank can hide. Wait until they come into the kill zone, then take two shots, along with your second Hertzer." The blond then turned to the other members of the teem. Falcon, Buzzard, your teams shall join with the Eagle team, while us, the Robin team, will provide covering fire." Finally, your two remaining T-34's will bait the enemy into the kill zone, before joining us on the high top."

Hanoashi gave a small smile. _That sounds like a good plan to me. Then again, I haven't learned nearly enough to be a good tank commander, nonetheless the match vice commander. So I wouldn't know too much. I have a bad feeling about this._

Little did she know that Leopon had Anzu give this plan to Dargeeling to test her on this match. Leopon smiled as her wiretapping device showcased Darjeeling plan. Of course, This was in part a Test Anzu wanted to do, to see how well this part of her town's Panzerfaren arena. She didn't want to risk her entire team on it though.

Anzu frowned. "Dargeling's plan put you're troops in more danger," she pointed out. "Are you sure this is the plan you wanted?"

Leopon gave her old friend a smile. "Hanoashi's gotta adjust to disadvantageous positions at some point." her words where slightly flat.

"Yeah, but on her first match?"

Shrugging, the Lioness tipped her head skyward. "Remember the match against Diggara?"

Sighing, she shook her head. "Not particularly. I was still school president when that happened. I do know you where in your ninth match though."

"Yes. Loader, then my tank commander almost got killed. Survived, but his entire left arm and foot got cut off. As it turned out they gave him disability and everything too. Anzia was not pleased about it."

Anzu snorted. "Since when is Anzia pleased with anything?"

"Never. Well, anyways, I was made commander after that. Besides, could you put her in a position of gunner or loader?"

"Not really. Then again, is it right for her to be sentenced to Panzerfaren?"

Given her a smirk, Leopon snorted. "Is it alright for anyone to be sentenced to Pazerfaren?"

"Eh... good point." Gazing at her four tanks, Anzu stared at her choices. An M-3 lee, a T-50, and two Cromwells. "I just hope Dargeeling and Hanoashi can pull this off."


End file.
